Cincinnati, From Scratch is a cost-free creative music composition program. Over the course of two semesters, directors Hannah Christiansen and Joseph Bricker provide a series of group and individual workshops to introduce students to writing for their own and other instruments and ultimately commission them to write brand new works. At the end of the workshops, students oversee a professional recording of their work and introduce the live premiere of their pieces at a performance event.

The 2025-26 cohort included student composers from the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestras and Nouveau Strings programs. Music composed by Lucia Schartung, Elessar DeHoff, Jessica Ries, Sean Hayes, Sonya Moomaw, William Yeoh, Andrew Zhang, and Cynthia Li, and performed by Joe Bricker (percussion) and Hannah Christiansen (violin).

Recorded at Legacy Soundworks in Cincinnati, OH on May 25, 2026. Audio by Eric Sheppard. Video by Jay C. Smith and Danny Yanes.

Lucia SCHARTUNG "The Resilience of Morning Glories" 0:43

Elessar DEHOFF "On Lesser Seen Emotions" 10:01

Jessica RIES "Call To Attention" 23:18

Sean HAYES "Legend of Setanta" 31:35

Sonya MOOMAW "Technicolor" 45:15

William YEOH "Fiorenza: Il Ponte Vecchio" 55:21

Andrew ZHANG "Entropic Variations" 1:02:27

Cynthia LI "Koi Summer" 1:12:45